The boredom of being alone
To the question “what does Pascal Dupraz do when he’s not on a football pitch?” “, he retorts as dryly: “There, I’m bored. My wife is not there, she has gone to Australia to see our daughter. So, at the hotel, I watch the African Cup of Nations. There is a folklore side that I like. One of the first matches I followed, there was the fourth referee who was busy with his deflated ball for a quarter of an hour. Afterwards, there is another referee who stops the match before the end. It did not make the actors laugh. There was in particular Wahbi Khazri. But me, I got married. It is also the certain time that African referees put cards because it sends heavy, it breaks wood. It’s this folklore in the stands, it’s magnificent. I knew Africa well, I worked for the High Commissioner for Refugees. »
The defibrillator
“When I was in Toulouse, I come as a savior and I collapse in the middle of the lawn. The savior collapses. That’s what I tell Olivier Sadran when he comes to see me at the hospital. It was Saturday. We play in Marseille on Sundays, without me. If you want, we tear up the contract, I understand. You’re not going to lose your figure. He said to me, “No, no, you’re with us, you’re recovering.” I am placed on a defibrillator on Wednesday. Thursday morning, they put me on a defibrillator. On Saturday, we play against Bordeaux, we win 4-0. They jump on me with every goal, I hurt every time they jump on me. It hurts, the installation of a defibrillator. On Thursday, when I have surgery, in the afternoon, I get up because you are asked to get up when you have surgery. The boss of the cardio comes to see me. He said, “I have nine to operate on tomorrow, won’t you come and visit with me?” Among the patients, there were kids who were much younger than me. I walked into the room, they were surprised to see me and I said, “Come on, get up, damn it! You’ve got nothing, it’s nothing, get up!” I strongly believe in that. We are nothing, but we are many at the same time. »
Spectrum
“I’ve had a specter over my head since I was 38. Back to the wall for football, back to the wall for health or whatever… I don’t owe anyone anything. I dare anyone to come find you and say, “If, if Pascal Dupraz owes us something.” I don’t have a debt. I love the life I lead. If I was a chick (sic), it would be a fairy tale.”
The debriefing of the eldest son
“My eldest son, Pierre-Emmanuel, after each match, he calls me and gives me his opinion, because he was a player until the National. He knows more football than me. My eldest son reminds me of my father. It is a compliment that I pay to Pierre-Emmanuel. My dad, who worked a lot for the ETG (Evian-Thonon-Gaillard). The day after the matches, my father called me, to debrief him and me. And since I lost one out of three games in my career, two out of three times my dad called me and I lost. It is true that, often, I let it ring several times before answering him. It pissed me off to take my father’s lesson. Serious mistake. So, today, out of respect for my father, and because his expertise also counts since he is a trainer in Switzerland, when Pierre-Emmanuel phones me, I pick up. »
The “true” ranking
“When we’re going to start taking points again, let’s rank the last five sixes, our mini-league, because that’s what’s important. We are going to meet all these teams, we will have to be strong. »
The half-empty glass
“I’m in the glass half empty. Always. For me, there is no such thing as a glass half full. The container is for quenching your thirst. So I’m going to drink it but, if I don’t have enough, I drink it again. At least it’s never empty. Just having both feet on the ground and talking to you today goes that way. Life is short but it is beautiful. It plays tricks on us, we suffer the pangs of life, but life is beautiful. »